Guidance of a Raven
by Shrine Keeper of Rei Ayanami
Summary: When Naruto is chased from his home village he is lead to the Valley of the End where he frees an Oni who has been sealed for over five hundred years. Now that he's free what terrors will he unleash upon the world and what does it have to do with Naruto?
1. Prolog

The Valley of the End. Famous for it's location of the fight that took place between the Shodai Hokage and Uchiha Madara. However, only two beings still live that know the true reason for the battle that took place there.

You see Madara and the Shodai disagreed on the way to run the newly created village of Konoha and so Madara went to the valley of the end to gain more power in hopes of showing that he was the most fit to rule the village. The Shodai showed up in the middle Madara's attempt to gain more power and foolishly told of his plans. That was when they began to fight. Madara forgot about his chance of gaining power when he was defeated by the Shodai and it soon became obvious to the Shodai that if he did not protect the power that was located at the valley of the end then there was a chance that this could all happen again.

The Shodai called upon his brother and the people of Konoha to help him seal the power. Not that the villagers knew of this, they gladly helped their newly appointed leader in zeal as they saw the statues they erected as a symbol of peace that would keep the village held together in times of crisis. When the twin statues of the Shodai and Madara were built they all congratulated themselves before going back to the village not knowing that they would soon be embroiled in a war.

That is a story for another time however so let us return to ours. The Shodai and his brother, after seeing all the villagers off, began to place seals on the statues to hold in the power that was located at the Valley of the End. When they had finished they nodded in satisfaction before heading back to the village content in the knowledge that no one would ever know of the power it held ever again.

It is with all this in mind that we begin our true story with the sight of one Uzumaki Naruto as he ran for his life through the forest that thronged the valley. His blue eyes scanned the forest in hopes of finding somewhere to hide. Blond hair hung down in his eyes and he brushed it away absentmindedly, unknowingly smearing blood across his forehead. His search for refuge was in vane however as a howl behind him alerted him of dogs that where hot on his trail. He turned to continue running and hissed as part of his orange jumpsuit as well as his skin scrapped against a sharp branch that protruded from a dead tree. A sharp caw above him made him freeze before he looked up to see a black raven starring down at him.

In his desperate state of mind he found himself talking to the bird. "Do you know where I can be safe?" To his surprise the bird gave a slight bob of its head and flew to a just a small ways away. Naruto took a few small steps towards the bird who flew to another tree that was still in sight.

"Do you want me to follow you?" The raven gave another bob of its head and waited for Naruto to take a few more steps towards it before giving a giving a caw for emphasis before flying further. Naruto took this as a sign from the gods and quickly began to follow the bird in hopes of finally finding a place where he no longer had to hid from people who seemed to hate him for absolutely no reason.

What Naruto didn't know however was the fact that even the Shinigami would not curse the fate the boy was about to face on anyone. Especially a boy who had been through hardship so much already in his short span of life. This was all because soon Uzumaki Naruto would die, and in his place something of such magnitude that it had not been seen on this planet for nearly five hundred years was about to be unleashed. All of this was happening because the people of Konoha not see the truth in that Uzumaki was not the Kyuubi no Kitsune but merely its container. Soon however, he would not even be that, he would be Naruto, and he would be seeking guidance from the Raven.


	2. Chapter 1

Naruto looked at the sight before him in slight trepidation. The raven that had led him here sat on the ground and had an air about it that seemed to be one of satisfaction. However that wasn't what Naruto was worried about. It was the large waterfall that cascaded in front of him as well as the large river that separated the land. After all young Naruto had thought the bird might be at least a little more helpful, instead it had lead him into an area were he could easily be cornered.

"Are you sure this is where I'll be safe?" The raven turned its head back at the boy before sticking its beak in the air and hopping forward. Naruto expected the bird to plunge into the rushing water and had started forward to save it only to freeze when the raven landed perfectly on the water as if it were dry land. The raven gave a few more hops and turned around to look at the orange clad boy whose eyes were wide in wonderment. Naruto quickly found he was following the bird in hopes that it would indeed lead him to a safe place seeing as it almost had the blessings of the Gods.

His step connected firmly with the water and in little time he found he was standing in the middle of the river next to his unlikely companion looking up at the impossibly high, to him, waterfall. The dew drops around him made a rainbow in the night sky and he stared in wonder at the beautiful sight.

"I to enjoy the sight of the world that has hardly been touched by human hands." The soft voice seemed to echo around Naruto and he looked around in wonderment in hopes of finding the speaker.

"You will never actually see me unless I help you in the endeavor." The voice stated, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"Do you know how to call upon chakra?" The boy gave a slight nod and looked toward the waterfall where the words were loudest. "Then maybe you can call on an even deeper chakra. One that you didn't know you possessed. If you can do that then I will keep you safe and fulfill you desires until you find that you no longer need my help." Naruto was rather pleased with the deal and soon set upon calling up his chakra. If the boy really knew what he was doing he might have never agreed.

A blue chakra surrounded the boy and he pored out as much as he could, however he couldn't call upon the chakra the voice had been telling him about. In a futile attempt he began to call on more and more chakra before he was starting to slowly droop at the knees.

"Maybe I should help you a little." The voice stated after a short amount of time and Naruto watched in fascination as something similar to silver chakra began to play across the water. However, when it got closer to him Naruto was overcome by fear and he began to tremble. The chakra was something that his subconscious told him was bad. He quickly believed it when it formed a circle around him and was slowly getting smaller. If he stayed like this to long then he would be destroyed.

Naruto's body was not responding in the way he was hoping it would. Instead of running away from trouble like he'd been able to do in the past, he found himself frozen in place. His mind was telling all of his body to move, run, just get away but his body just would not respond. It was when the circle had almost reached him that he felt something bubble up inside of him. Red chakra began to whip around him wildly, pushing and breaking the silver chakra until it retreated. The boy felt rather proud of his new chakra and hoped this was what the voice was talking about but he forgot about that when his chakra began to flow through the air collide with a dense ball of silver and black that hung in the air in front of the waterfall.

As his own chakra was added to the ball it began to expand, slowly at first before it gained speed. The ball was growing to a size that would encompass him if he didn't move. However, as the boy tried to run back to the shore he found that he was still frozen in place. He looked down at his feet to see that small silver rings of chakra surrounded each foot. He had forgotten all about the bird that had led him here in the first place but now remember as it came into his sight. It seemed to be almost entrapped at the sight of the ball. Naruto worried that he had been fooled into something when darkness of the ball swallowed him into its depths.

On top of the statue of the Shodai, overlooking the Valley of the End, the group of ninja that had set out after the boy stared down in fear at what was happening. When the silver chakra had appeared they had all frozen save one who had felt a worse chakra then before, but then the red chakra appeared and they all knew what this chakra was. Many had fallen to their knees and cried when it had appeared for they had all had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing this chakra before, for it was the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the very same one that had attacked their village almost seven years ago. The only one left among them was a man who had fought against the Kyuubi itself and knew the true feeling of standing near the beast. However, the silver chakra scared him, almost more than the Kyuubi's, and with that thought in mind he began to gather up the ninja and prepared to return to Konoha to tell the Hokage of what he had seen. Besides the fact that they had all chased the boy out here.

XxXxX

Naruto did not know how long it was before he was before he was once more in the outside world, but when he returned he found himself drained of his energy. He would have fallen in the river had someone not caught him. When he looked up at whom it was he found himself starring into bright silver eyes. Those eyes were set into a chiseled face that held a sense of knowledge about it. The man's hair pitch black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail with only a few strands hanging down over his forehead and dangling from his ear was a small silver feather.

The man carried him carefully over to the bank and set him down against a rock so that he could still look up without craning his neck to see. Naruto was about to go back to studying the man when he felt something hop onto his lap. What he saw that sat there was the same raven that had led him to this man. It seemed rather smug with itself and had decided that the boys lap would be the perfect place to flaunt its glory.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto looked up at the man and couldn't help but gape in wonder. He found his eyes at the man's feet first and saw a pair of dark blue shinobi sandals that went up a small ways before they were covered by gray medical wrap. Just bellow the knees his pants began and they seemed to be a pair of regular pants that any shinobi would were but they looked to have a higher quality than even a Shogun could afford. His shirt was a v-cut shirt that was made of a dark black material he was sure would feel like pure water to the touch. Over it all was a black over coat that reminded him of a man's he'd seen before except the man's had red clouds on it were this one was free of any designs. As Naruto's eyes once more moved back to the man's face he noticed a necklace bond by a black cord which held light blue crystal on it.

"Naruto." The boy quickly focused on the man's face afraid that he might be in trouble if he didn't focus fast enough. "I have seen what you've been through. I've seen how the people of your village treat you. I know why you are treated so."

"Really, please, tell me why?" Naruto couldn't help but blurt out his question. To know why he was treated so poorly was something he'd always wanted to know. That this man knew must have been a gift from the gods.

"First you need to know something." He stared down at the boy as he looked up in anticipation and couldn't help but smirk at how easy this was all going to be. "I am the Godaikoku no Karasu an Oni of unimaginable power. And you are the carrier of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and Oni of even greater power. However," the man stated as he watched Naruto's eyes begin to swell with tears. "Just because you carry an Oni does not make you a bad person. Also, just because I am an Oni does not make me a bad person."

"So that's why people hated me in my village."

"Yes, because they are naive fools who know nothing of heroes or villains. But I am not like them, I see you as someone who could be even greater than all of the Hokages combined. Will you follow my advise as I train you to become more power than you would have ever thought possible?" The man stretched out his hand to Naruto who stared at it in wonder.

"What will I have to do?" The boy asked with a slight waver in his voice.

"You will have to forsaken your village. Cut all ties you've ever held with them. In essence you will need to die and be reborn as Naruto. That is all you need to do." Naruto once more stared up at the man with slight doubt. "I will not do anything you do not wish me to," he stated and Naruto felt his doubts slowly sliding away.

"What's your name?" The man was shocked for a moment before he responded.

"Saten, Nenshou Saten."

"Then I shall follow you Saten. So that I may achieve my dreams." Naruto's hand slid into Saten's and with little movement they shook.

In his mind Saten let out a loud cackle as he finally found his plans coming into motion. Soon the world would once more fear the name Nenshou Saten no Karasu.

So, there it is. Sorry about having to rewrite the story again but the last one I kind of forgot where I was taking it. In this one I realize what I can do and where I'm going to take it. If you liked the first one better than you did this one, sorry but I don't know what I would have done. Naruto and Saten were way to strong in that one. If anyone wants they can take the plot line that I started for it and use it but please give me credit. Well other than that please review and tell me what you think of this one. Really reviews will help me right more and that means faster updates, generally, I can't really promise anything though. May the blessings of Rei Ayanami be upon you.


	3. Chapter 2

I think I need to go back to first person view for the chapters. I'm not to terribly good at third person but I can right in it if need be. However, I think this story needs to take place in a first person view because I'll be introducing three OC's, including Saten, and it will be easier for me if I just make it from one persons point of view. At least for one chapter and then I could switch to a different person. I'll do it this way and then everything should be fairly well done and you'll understand it more.

XxXxX

(Saten's Point of View)

Naruto and Izanami were sleeping on the other side of the fire. They had taken well to each other over the years and would probably continue to develop a more personal relationship. I personally attributed it to the fact that Izanami had lead Naruto to me but Inzen thought otherwise. Of course Inzen thought the opposite of just about everything that I did so it really doesn't matter.

It was close to morning now. In a few hours I'd be getting them up again and we'd be off towards Konoha. It had been just over six years but the boy needed to go back. If he couldn't gain allies within the village there would be little chance of his dreams coming to fruit and that would mean my plans would be thrown to hell as well.

I pulled a small mirror from my cloak and took a look at my face and frowned as I noticed the stubble that had grown there last night. It was one of the few things I hated about a human body, they constantly needed attention. I gathered my wind elements around one of my fingers and began to cut away at the small bits of hair.

"I to despise the growth of these bodies. Not to mention the fact that they need to be fed constantly." I looked over at Inzen to see him burning away his whiskers with the power of his chakra. The dark red shine it gave to his face in the early hours would have unsettled even the stoutest man. It was probably a good thing I wasn't a man.

"Our animal forms need to fed more than these, but I see your point." I studied the being that sat near me and couldn't help buy wonder if he really hated his form. His deep red hair was short and spiked as well as having the tips of each spike blackened. His face was hard and set and his eyes were the same deep red as his chakra. The vertical pupils would offset many to his nature but I knew he would change it before any could accuse him of his true self. He wore a black short sleeve shirt with a red button up one over top and his pants were black as well. He wore no shoes but that didn't really matter to someone who easily stood six feet tall.

"Why are we returning to that village? I have no desire to be reminded of the time of my imprisonment."

"Oh, is the great Kyuubi no Kitsune scared that he will once more be returned to the belly of a boy. Destined to die like a mere mortal." Inzen grimaced for a moment before looking back over at the boy on the other side of the fire.

"You've made him into a pawn. That boy is nothing to you but a means to an end." I looked over at the boy as well. He wore no shoes, like Inzen, but his pants were a solid orange that made him stand out no matter were he was. He had a black short sleeve shirt with a white long sleeve shirt over top that he generally kept open. His hair was more tamed than it had been in his early years and was now combed back, but the spikes were still uncontrollable and pointed stair back with his hair.

He'd stated some time ago that he wanted at least half of his whisker marks gone so they would look more like tattoos then birth marks so that he would stand out less. So Inzen and I created a small row of teeth that might have come out of the mouth of a rather large human and made it so that he could attach it to one cheek or the other with a small amount of chakra. (1) The effect it had on enemies was rather pleasing as they took one look at it and assumed that was were it was from.

"He probably knows and if he doesn't yet then she'll tell him soon." We both switched are gazes to Izanami and took in her form as well.

She had long black hair and a heart shaped face. If you could see her eyes you'd notice that they were a dark grey. She had a black short sleeve short, they were all on sale, what can I say, and there was a grey button up short sleeve shirt over top that which was never buttoned. On her back was a simple Wazikashi with a black sheath and a woven grey hilt. Her pants were a simple black and she wore no shoes.

"You've probably taken all of this into account, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have." He looked over at me once more before standing up and walking away. He paused for a moment at the edge of the clear and took a quick look back before continuing on. I gave him a few seconds before I stood up as well.

"Why don't you start making breakfast." I stated as I began to follow after Inzen. Izanami groaned from where she lay but I had no doubt she would get to work on it, or trick Naruto into cooking. Maybe I should just go hunting if that happens.

It took little time to catch up to the kitsune and when I got there, there was another circling him slowly, almost sultry. It was a small red fox that from the looks of things was female.

"News from the fan club?" I joked half heartedly.

"If only, it's about a new group. One that seems to be hunting out kind." I sobered up immediately at the news. There were few humans that could stand up to the powers of an Oni but if there was ever a time for them to be able, now was it.

"This could be bad. We have to come out of hiding to implement my plans, but this could prove to be a problem. However, if we stay in hiding there's less chance we'll be able to counteract them later and less chance my plans will have of succeeding. Do you know the members?"

"Iie, only that they're all S-class ninja. They're known as Akatsuki and wear black cloaks with red clouds on them." Inzen looked slightly pale and I wondered if it was from the prospect of capture or death or something else entirely. Inzen and I knew we could take one of them, maybe two, but if they sent anymore after us then there was little chance we'd escape with our lives.

After all Inzen and I had only been released from our seals for a few years. It would make little sense to say we'd have gained all our power back in that time. Not to mention that our Demonic bodies had been destroyed.

Also if Naruto and Izanami came up against one of them, it would take all their power to take that person down. I held both of the children in high regards, but not so high as to think they could take on S-classed ninja on their own.

"So what do you say Saten? Stick to the plan and go to Konoha, or stay here and see if things blow over." There was little chance of things blowing over, both of us knew it.

"We will be more guarded in Konoha then if we stay here and if we play our cards right then we might even be able to get help should we run into them." Inzen nodded in agreement, but we both knew the truth. If we ran into them in the village and won, I doubt we'd be able to get out without answering a lot of questioned that should not be asked.

"We should get back, before they get suspicious," I stated as I turned around but stopped when Inzen spoke up.

"But what if Naruto's cooking?" I froze in realization. I had practically ordered Izanami to make breakfast, and her being the only one who seemed able to stand up to the stuff would probably trick Naruto into doing it, thus leaving us feeling incredibly ill for the next few days.

"I think I smell a deer off that way." Inzen stated before pointing in a general direction.

"I'm going on a walk."

"I think I'll join you."

XxXxX

Well there it is hope you liked it and I should get another chapter up soon. Sorry, I forgot to mention that the (1) thing was. It was ment to be like Grimmjow from Bleach.


	4. Chapter 3

Well here's the latest chapter in the new Guidance of a Raven series and I've finally introduced one of the characters from the main series. Hope you like it.

(Naruto's POV)

There was someone shaking my arm and even if they were doing it gently I was loathe pulling myself out of the realm of sleep. For certain reasons maybe, but not many.

"Oh Naru-kun." That probably wasn't one of my reasons. My eyes cracked open slightly to be greeted with a flash of blinding sunlight. My eyes shut immediately and I rolled over away from the evil that was the sun.

"Naru-kun, why don't you get up so you can help me?" A hand trailed over my arm to me bare cheek where it began to caress the three whisker marks there. Off course the owner to the response she'd get from that particular action.

A light thrum could be heard coming from my chest if you were close enough. Not only that but if you'd put your hand there as well you would have felt a slight vibration as well.

"Naru-kun, if you don't get up then I might have to tell Inzen and Saten about the bath house and why they were the ones who were blamed." My eyes open with hardly any thought at that point and took a look up at Izanami. The sun that shone into her grey eyes gave her a look that was both beautiful and dangerous all at the same time.

"You are evil." I stated as I looked up at her before I got up slowly. I stretched out my muscles and gave a yawn before heading off towards the woods.

"Where are you going," she asked with her hands on her hips and a look of suspicion on her face.

"To the bathroom." I told her simply. It wouldn't do to let her think I was going to run away. Of course as soon as I was far enough in that she wouldn't be able to see me I stretched out my senses and searched for Inzen. He was a little in front of me and to the right. I glanced back quickly before taking off like a shot and it didn't take long afterwards for her to notice I wasn't coming back.

"NARUTO!" The sound sent birds flying from there perches in the trees and had animals hiding in there beds in fear. The scream only alerted me to the fact that I could now use chakra to boost my speed.

As I neared the spot that Inzen was supposed to be at I could pick out the sight of a dead dear as well as two dust trails that led off in one direction. Off course they'd run. Anyone who's male in the vicinity when Izanami's on a rampage is automatically a target.

However, "That doesn't mean you should leave me behind to face her wrath." The shriek was answered by its own owner as Izanami quickly corned the hapless blond.

(Saten's POV)

We couldn't help but cringe at the shrieks of agony that were produced from the clearing behind us, but we knew better than to try and interfere in a fight that we had no chance of winning.

"I almost feel sorry for the Gaki," Inzen stated in a huff beside me as we continued to run.

"Almost." We both bust out in laughter. It wouldn't be hard for the two to follow after Izanami was done beating Naruto to a pulp so we decided that we'd head for the next town and wait for them there.

"Last one there has to pay for lunch," Inzen called back to me as he burst into a large molten red fox that quickly shot off into the distance. I stared after him open mouth for a minute before transforming myself into a slightly larger than normal raven and shot off after the trickster with a chakra burst of my own.

XxXxX

Unfortunately there really wasn't much for me to pay for when it came to buying lunch. Yes, that means I lost. Anyway, when we'd gotten to the small village we'd been surprised when all that there seemed to be for food stuffs was a rather feeble supply at the local grocer that would hardly feed all four of us. And we didn't eat much.

"There's hardly anything here." The kitsune growled next to me. "Not to mention I think we'd get sick if we ate this. If I wanted to be sick I would have stayed and eaten Naruto's cooking."

"I doubt we'd get much food if we stole from people's houses either. Did you see how run down this place looks? It's like we've already been here." We both chuckled at the slight joke but stopped when we noticed a few people glaring at us.

I tossed a few bill on the counter as we walked out of the building and watched the owner almost have a heart attack. We decide we'd try for the next town and headed off to look for a way to the main land. No doubt they'd have boat or bridge or something.

XxXxX

I'd assumed it would be a boat as the chances of the town having a large enough bridge to stretch from the main land here was almost inconceivable. So when we came upon the hulking structure we were rightly surprised.

"It's big."

"That's what-"

"Shut it. I better not here that from Naruto. Kami knows I get it enough from you." Both of us walked onto the bridge, all the while ignoring the men working there in favor of getting to the most recent construction.

We stopped a few feet the edge of the bridge and looked down at the murky and no doubt cold waters bellow. If given the choice we'd rather take a boat or walk across the bridge then have to waste energy by water walking the rest of the way from here.

"We could wait until they finish." I looked over at Inzen skeptically before looking back at the water.

"You don't think they have a boat service?"

"Do you?" I found myself agreeing with the man but not without a rather seething rage that was slowly building inside. I didn't like the fact that my plans were being pushed back by mere humans.

"They had better be done soon." I stated before turning back towards the town only to be greeted by the sight of a Konoha headband. Its owner was someone I had never seen before. He had tall silver hair that was bent slightly sideways, as if wind were continuously blowing on it. His left eye was covered by part of his head band and there was a slight scar above and below the area. He wore a mask that was covered half his face and in his hands was a little orange that both Inzen and I had numerous copies of. Other than that he looked like a regular jonin from Konoha.

"Kopi Ninja no Kakashi." Apparently Inzen had met him before and while it annoyed me that just given that fact away it gave me a vague idea of what the man's abilities were. Unfortunately those abilities were not something I would be able to handle, maybe Inzen could handle him because of his connection to the Sharingan but beyond that I wouldn't know.

"Oh, do I know you from somewhere? You don't look familiar."

"Unfortunately we've only ever heard rumors. I'm rather surprised to meet you in person, on a mission of some sort, but so close to the chunin exams and you're out of the village. Cutting it close, don't you think?" Kakashi's face seemed to gain a hardness to it as he stared us down, no doubt considering if we were a threat or not, maybe later, but not at the moment.

I felt Inzen tap me on the shoulder and recognized the sign for Naruto and Izanami. I expanded my senses as well and felt them come plowing into the town, probably creating quite a racket.

As if to prove my thoughts a large dust cloud extending from one end of the village to the other rose above the rooftops and a few distant screams were heard.

"They never did figure out how to not attract attention. Maybe would should work on that before we enter the next village. Preferably so they don't blow up a building like last time."

"Maybe we should let them. If you have to pay for property damage you might just stimulate the economy." I did not find Inzen joke all that funny and neither did Kakashi if the way he dashed off was anything to go by. "Although if Konoha has to pay for it, they might not find that all to pleasing when we finally get there."

"To true Inzen; all too true."

XxXxX

My chapters seem to be getting shorter as I write. I think it's mostly because I have yet to any reviews for this version of the story. Honestly I think this one is better than the old version. I at least know what I going to do with it, not to mention I using the most used intro to a Naruto story. The Wave Arc. Could someone please review and tell me what you think. I'm getting rather disappointed that it's received so little hits and reviews as compared to the other version. No I'm not going to hold back chapters because people haven't review. Mostly because I don't have any more written then the ones up. May the blessings of Rei Ayanami be upon you.


	5. Chapter 4

I was rather surprised to find that the two had in fact blown up yet another building. Not only that but they had gotten themselves trapped under the rubble and were becoming quite the spectacle.

They were trapped under a large support beam, which was probably the reason the house was down. While any of us could have pushed it off, no one had stepped forward to help them. Probably for punishment and partly for amusement as they were stuck practically face to face and being about the same size, made itself look like a compromising position.

The kitsune and I decided we'd play a game of Shogi as we waited; surprisingly Inzen had a knack for well planed strategies. Naruto didn't really have the patience and Izanami didn't like the fact that the only two people she played, Inzen and I, could always beat here. Therefor it was down to just me and Inzen who would play the game in times of calm.

Still we could help but look over every time the Uchiha or the Haruno girl growled out in frustration. We quickly became able to ignore the two trapped teens who would shout out randomly at any passing person.

"What do you think of Hatake's team," I asked just loud enough so that Hatake himself looked over at us from where he was staking wood that might still be usable.

"The Uchiha seems conceded, probably because of his youth, not to mention he looks like he could use a decent nights sleep. As for the Haruno girl, unworthy, she's stuck on the Uchiha boy like a bad cold. Any fresh Genin could probably take her if it was down to a fair fight." I moved my bishop across the board and captured one of Inzen's pawns.

"I agree, but that Sai boy, defiantly not your average Genin," I paused as the boy in question looked over at us.

"Not to mention his use of ink," the red headed man's hand slapped to the ground before he brought it up before him. The small splash of ink in his hand the reason for his action.

"We should be wary." Red eyes read the movements of my lips before he reached across the board to promote his knight.

"Excuse me," we looked up carefully at the pink haired girl who had walked over to where we sat. "Do you know those two?" We both looked around her at the two trapped teens who glared at us as best they could.

"I'm their sensei Nenshou Saten. This is Inzen and those two are Naruto and Izanami." The girl looked us over for a moment before deciding that was all the answer she'd get.

"Well they've been mutter about you for the past five minutes and some of us are starting to wonder if the beam is going to injure them." We once more looked around the girl at the two only to see the same glares on their face as last time.

"They're fine," Inzen answered before looking back at the pieces spread on the Shogi field.

The Haruno girl stared at the man for a moment before she saw me move one of my pieces on the board at which point she stared at both of us for a few moments.

"I… suppose you're right. They did cause a building to collapse."

"Exactly."

"Quite so."

There was a small moment of uncomfortable silence before the girl spoke up once more.

"Kakashi-sensei said you knew about the Chunin exams. Do you plan on attending?"

"We plan on entering." Inzen placed a piece carefully on the board before we looked up once more as footsteps alerted us of another person. Looking up we were surprised to see that it was the boy Sai that had approached us.

"How do you intend to join the Chunin exams if only two of you are Genin and you don't have a village?" Inzen and I blinked up at the two in a way that could only be described as confusion before both of us reached into our clothes and pulled out Konoha headbands. Unfortunately that is exactly when Kakashi decided to look over at us and watched as we pulled them out. He came up with a different explanation for why we had them then what was the truth and our Shogi board was lost as Kakashi landed on top of it with kunai held at our throats.

"Where did you get those?" I looked over at my reluctant partner and we both nodded suddenly causing Kakashi to stiffen as the sight before we burst into smoke. Kakashi moved quickly to get out of the way as the beam that had been holding Naruto and Izanami down crashed onto the spot the ninja had just occupied. However both the children were still in the same position as Inzen and I sat carefully on Izanami's back.

"We are ninja of Konoha, even these two. I met with the Hokage who gave me Jonin status as well as the option of adding more ninja to Konoha's roster. Inzen here is still technically a Genin and will have to go through the process of the Chunin exams before he can be made Jonin but that will take only small time."

"How come I've never heard of you?" We could all see that Hatake was not in the mood for games. We stood up slowly and I dragged Izanami up to stand by me while Inzen did the same for Naruto.

"For rather obvious reasons if you took the time to look for them. After all, the boy is a pariah." A hand flashed out and took the mask like object from Naruto's face leaving him exposed to the man before him. I almost wished that Hatake's mask was not in place so that I could have better seen the look on his face as he stared at the boy who tried desperately to regain his effect.

"That's..."

"The boy who was lost to your village almost five years earlier. Naruto is now my student and I intend to teach him more than you useless Konoha ninja could ever hope to learn."

"Kakashi-sensei," Kakashi glanced to the side where Sasuke stood seemingly ready for a battle.

"So you know?"

"Only after the Hokage told me but the old man was rather pleased to hear he was not dead as had previously been reported. He will be overjoyed that I am returning with him, not to mention with more ninja at his disposal."

"The Hokage-sama does not think that way."

"So you may believe but no Hokage can rule a village with a soft heart." Hatake's growl resounded around the area and Inzen responded in kind.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome. Let us find some place to stay for tonight." I turned and guided the girl with me while Inzen did the same for Naruto. Inzen had been the one to take Naruto's mask and when I looked back at the pair I could not see the object in either of their possession. I never did see that mask after that.

* * *

A little shorter than the others but I wanted to get the story moving along. I think I might have the battle of Kakashi and Zabuza next but I don't know. Review and tell me what you think. May the blessings of Rei Ayanami be upon you.


End file.
